U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and Environment visits Burunge Wildlife Management Area

November 10, 2014 - The United States under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Catherine Novelli (pictured), recently visited the Burunge Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in the Manyara Region.  Under Secretary Novelli visited Burunge WMA to learn first-hand about the challenges facing community based wildlife conservation efforts.

Burunge WMA lies between Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks, and is an area of critical importance to the Tarangire – Manyara ecosystem.  Burunge WMA is one of nineteen WMAs established through collaborative efforts between the U.S. Government through United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Tanzania, other development partners, and local communities. 

At the Burunge WMA, Under Secretary Novelli received a briefing from Mr. John Salehe, the Tanzania Country Director for the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), on the WMA community conservation model that the U.S. Government has implemented in Tanzania over the last decade.  She also met with Village Game Scouts and toured U.S. supported projects.

During the visit, Under Secretary Novelli noted that wildlife trafficking is a global issue that requires a global response, and that local communities are key partners with governments in the fight against poaching.  She reiterated U.S. Government commitment to support innovative wildlife protection and conservation initiatives that benefit local communities sharing environments with wildlife, and emphasized that greater success in wildlife conservation can only be won through collaborative efforts between public, private and civil society partners.